The poetry and life of Robert Frost are characterized in opposition to the works of nineteenth-century poets and Modernists Eliot and Pound.  Frost’s poetic project, how he positions himself among his contemporaries, his poetics of work, and his concept of "the sound of sense" are discussed. The poems "Mowing" and "'Out, Out--'" are interpreted, and the tensions between vernacular language and poetic form that they showcase are explored. Reading assignment: Robert Frost: "Home Burial," "After Apple-Picking," "The Wood-Pile," "The Road Not Taken," "'Out, Out--,'" "Stopping by Woods," "To Earthward," "The Need of Being Versed in Country Things," "Putting in the Seed," "Birches," "The Pasture," "Into My Own," "Mowing," "The Tuft of Flowers," "Death of the Hired Man"; Norton: The Figure a Poem Makes (pp. 986-93) Resources Handout 2: Robert Frost [PDF] Section Activity: Robert Frost [PDF]